DUE DILIGENCE:
HOLDING CORPORATIONS
ACCOUNTABLE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL
DAMAGE
DOES THE POLLUTER PAY?
“WHAT IS THE ‘POLLUTER PAYS’
PRINCIPLE ABOUT?
Knowing policies that assign responsibility for environmental
damage is important because it helps to ensure that those
responsible for causing harm to the environment are held
accountable for their actions. By holding polluters accounta-
ble for the environmental damage they cause, policies can
incentivize companies and individuals to adopt more environ-
mentally sustainable practices and reduce their environmen-
tal impact.
Moreover, policies that assign responsibility for environmental
damage can help to protect communities and individuals who
may be negatively afected by environmental degradation.
When polluters are held accountable for their actions, afected
communities may be able to seek compensation for any harm
they have sufered. This can include compensation for proper-
ty damage, loss of income, or medical expenses related to
environmental health problems.
Additionally, policies that assign responsibility for environ-
mental damage can help to facilitate environmental cleanup
eforts. For example, some policies require companies to clean
up contaminated sites or restore damaged ecosystems. By
holding polluters responsible for environmental damage,
these policies help to ensure that the costs of environmental
cleanup are borne by those who caused the damage, rather
than by taxpayers or afected communities.
Overall, knowing policies that assign responsibility for envi-
ronmental damage is important for promoting environmental
sustainability, protecting communities and individuals, and
facilitating environmental cleanup eforts.
The 'polluter pays' principle means that whoever causes
pollution should pay to clean it up or fx the harm caused
by it. This makes sense because if someone makes a mess,
they should be responsible for cleaning it up. This idea has
been really important in helping to reduce pollution and
make people accountable for their actions.
But sometimes it can be hard to fgure out who caused the
pollution or who should pay for it. Sometimes, even if we
know who caused it, they might not be able to pay for the
damage they caused. And sometimes it can be really
expensive and take a long time to go through the legal
process of making someone pay for the pollution they
caused.
The 'polluter pays' principle has been used to deal with
many diferent types of pollution, but sometimes it's still
hard to apply, especially when pollution is caused by many
diferent sources. Overall, it's an important principle that
helps make sure people take responsibility for their actions
and encourages them to be more careful in the future.
DUE DILIGENCE GUIDANCE
FOR RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS
CONDUCT
CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY
DUE DILIGENCE
Companies play an important role in creating a strong
economy and society, but sometimes they harm the
environment while doing so. People, governments, and
companies are becoming more aware of this problem.
Some companies are trying to fx it by following rules
that require them to be responsible and make good
choices. However, the European Parliament has noticed
that just following these rules voluntarily may not be
enough, and they are discussing how to make sure
companies are doing their part to protect the
environment.
Some companies are doing things that are really bad for
people and the planet. They might hurt the environment
or treat workers unfairly. The European Union is thinking
about making a new law to make sure these companies
are responsible for their actions. This law would require
companies to have good policies to protect people's
rights and the environment. But before this can happen,
we need to make sure that lots of people ask the
European Commission to change the rules and make
sure companies are accountable for what they do.
WHY WE NEED A LAW TO
PROTECT WORKERS, PEOPLE,
AND PLANET FROM BAD
BUSINESS